Convective SAGD Process

Abstract In steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process, accumulation of non-condensable gases at the edges of the steam chamber creates a resistance to heat transfer between hot steam and cold bitumen, thus slowing down growth of the steam chamber. Efficient removal of these gases from the steam chamber can substantially accelerate the recovery process. Typical practice in SAGD is to use steam splitters and strive for a relatively uniform pressure in the horizontal part of the well, which allows for even distribution of injected steam into the reservoir. In convective SAGD process, a significant pressure gradient is deliberately created along the horizontal length of the injector well by tailoring the well completion design. Enhanced flow resistances can be fashioned by using finned tubes, static mixers, flow constrictions or simply using tube sections with varying diameters. A complementary placement of resistances in the producer well prevents short-circuiting of steam. Pressure gradients created in the injector well are translated on to the reservoir, thus allowing for a sweep of non-condensable gasses from the steam chamber. In reservoir simulation studies, a novel convective SAGD process has shown significant improvement in oil production, with 20% higher peak production rates as compared to traditional SAGD while facilitating removal of non-condensable gases in excess of 90% from the steam chamber over the life of the well. Since fluids in the reservoir can now also move along the length of the wells, convective SAGD demonstrates a distinct advantage over traditional SAGD in heterogeneous reservoirs as horizontal barriers to flow can now be overcome with time. Currently, a field pilot is being pursued at Foster Creek to test the validity of convective SAGD process.